>From what you have written, I get the clear feeling that these are your
positions:
>
>1. Linux kernel & shell are a-ok, no problems.
>2. X based desktop environments (kde/gnome/etc) too slow, buggy, crappy.
>3. Free alternatives to commercial products are not good.
>4. Commercial motivation = good products.
Close, but I would say:
1. Linux kernel & shell are a-ok, no problems.
2. X based desktop environments (kde/gnome/etc) [tend to be] too slow,
buggy, crappy.
3. Free alternatives to commercial products tend to be slow, buggy, crappy.
4. Commercial motivation does not necessarily result in good products, but
of necessity tends to place more emphasis on identifying and meeting the
needs of a specific market. Open source projects seem often to be done by
hobbyists who then want the satisfaction of seeing other people benefit from
their work. There is nothing wrong with that but it does not foster the same
level of discipline you find in most commercial projects. The GPL can be
both a blessing and a curse.
Does that mean I never use free software? Certainly not. Far be it from me
to make "perfect" the enemy of "good enough." But neither will I fool myself
into believing that GPL is good and commercial software is evil, even if I
do think it is usually overpriced.
I guess the reason for my initial comments were that I was thinking about
the recent experience of a friend of my son's who was interested in Linux. I
recommended Mandrake 9.2 because I found the installation to be quite
painless. He had trouble downloading the ISO images and making a CD set that
would install, and so went out and spent $100 on a shrink-wrapped distro, I
think it was SUSE. He couldn't get that to install either. I recommended
going to one of the install-fests but I don't think he wanted to wait that
long. After this experience he probably is now an avowed critic of Linux.
To those who wish to make Linux into a religious crusade I would say the
reward isn't necessarily worth the effort. If you were offering eternal life
that might be another matter. But to go around spitting on people who don't
happen to support your agenda makes me wonder if you wear a towel on your
head.
--Phil M.
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